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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. track — to keep track
  5. clip — for paper
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bark — to shout
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. vault — a safe
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. ball — a great time
  15. deal — to handle
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. track — a song
  19. ball — a dance
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com